“There is something so deeply affirming and validating to have these parts of me captured in your photographs. I can see myself more clearly. I have tangible reminders of who I am. Thank you Nic, for your skill in capturing my essence and for the safe space you created for me to express it.” Kate Gillett, artist
“Denmark photographer Nic Duncan is a special breed. She doesn’t follow trends, she sets her own agenda. I’m privileged to call Nic a friend and colleague. Nic’s contributing more than almost all other Aussie photographers in preserving Australia’s visual history. More than anything else Nic’s photography is authentic. In this day, I can think of no higher praise.” Dale Neill, photographer & tutor
For the last couple of years I’ve been involved with an ambitious arts project called Reclaim the Void. It’s a bold cross-cultural project, born from Ngalia elders in Leonora, Western Australia, expressing their pain and grief at ‘those gaping mining holes left all over our country’. The idea was conceived to symbolically ‘seal’ one of the holes with an artwork expressing the story of country…
…Whilst the membership of the Kulin Men’s Shed might be small in number, the combined knowledge and passion for the town’s history that these blokes hold more than makes up for that…
Recently returned from a writers’ residency in the Blue Mountains, award-winning poet Renee Pettitt-Schipp was in need of publicity shots to accompany her next book. We got the ‘safe’ shots around her home and then went for a walk to the inlet near her home in Denmark WA. That’s where the magic happened :-)
For many years, Hazel supported victims of domestic violence as they escaped their situation and rebuilt their lives. Nowadays, she’s focussing more on the homeless. Once thought of as a problem in the big cities, homelessness happens everywhere. In August last year, Homeless Project Denmark found there was 181 homeless people between Cosy Corner and Walpole - you can guarantee the actual figure is higher. There's a small group of legends who work hard with Hazel to make a difference but they can't do it on their own. We can all help...
It was just a few weeks after the Denmark bushfires that I visited musician, artist and environmentalist James Gentle at home. It was a mix of good luck and James’s huge efforts that his house was not on the list of those lost in the fires. All that’s left of his caravan, however, is a patch of ash with melted metal and glass sculpted by intense heat.
Artist and visionary, Andre is the man who started the Denmark Arts markets, and indeed Denmark Arts itself. He flies under the radar most of the time these days, and I'm sure there's a lot of people here now who have no idea how much Andre shaped our little town. He's one of Denmark's original 'bloody hippies' and a bloody treasure.
I’ve photographed Andre many times over the years and have included some of my old favourites below the photos I took a few days ago.
Nic Duncan is truly amazing...she has a natural gift and has a way of making everyone feel relaxed, to enable her to capture the perfect memories!! Can't recommend Nic highly enough!
Ang & Silas
Karnivool guitarist, Drew Goddard kept finding himself drawn back to Coolgardie in the WA Goldfields. When he ran out of reasons to visit, he moved there…
Before marrying Dianne, Terry was living at the northern end of Leonora’s main street, in the house he’d grown up in. An avid collector, Terry has spent many, many hours treasure-hunting at the Leonora tip…
Self-described environmentalists, Jean and Russell salvage and repurpose what would otherwise end up at the tip. Between them they own five gophers (disability scooters) which they ride around town doing their shopping and running errands, because they’re more economical than a car.
I spotted this snappy-dressed gent, tapping away on his iPhone, as I drove down the main street of Boulder in the Goldfields recently…
…I supposed he’d meet some interesting characters in his line of work. He agreed, “I’ve had a gun pointed at me a few times! One time I even came away three grand better off”…
With a lifelong passion for both the birds and the bees, dating all the way back to his childhood growing up at Clontarf Boys’ Town, apiarist Wally Kerkoff is well respected in bird and conservation circles. He has spent over 30 years designing and constructing artificial logs for placement in the Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo breeding areas of Moora and Mogumber in WA. With the shortage of suitable natural nesting trees, this work has been essential in building numbers of the endangered Carnaby’s.⠀⠀⠀⠀
If we could give six stars - we would! Nic went above and beyond to make sure we got the photos we wanted, and was both professional and fun in all aspects. We would highly recommend her to anyone seeking a skilled photographer.
Kelly & Jason